How About Now
by Lady Scarring
Summary: KakaSaku. Kakashi makes a nuisance of himself in the kitchen, much to the cook's irritation.


Disclaimer: Naruto and all associated characters and things belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This story belongs to me.

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"Can I put them in now?"

"Is the water boiling yet?"

"No…"

"Then not yet." Sakura didn't bother turning around as she finished chopping carrots for the salad, brushing them into the bowl with a kunai. "Can you hand me the dressing?"

A bottle was placed beside her a moment later and she flicked the cap with her thumb before pouring a good amount over the lettuce and carrots. Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye she promptly threw the now closed bottle at him. "Kakashi, those are for later!"

The offending hand was snatched away from the chocolate chip cookies on the cooling rack and the culprit ducked to avoid the projectile. As dangerous as a bottle of salad dressing could be, Kakashi was glad she hadn't chosen to throw the kunai in her hand. Wary of her deadly aim, he edged back toward the stove and pot of water. His head tilted to observe its progress again. "How about now?"

"Is the water boiling?" she asked again, beginning to lose her patience. He had asked her three times already.

Kakashi hesitated. "…sort of."

Sakura looked up and lifted a pale brow. "Sort of _how_, Kakashi."

"Okay, no."

She decided to leave it at that and began slicing tomatoes, making sure she cut out the seeds because Kakashi would shove them under his bowl when he thought she wasn't looking if she didn't. Humming quietly to herself, she popped a slice into her mouth, chewing slowly as she dumped the others into the bowl.

"Now?"

"You have no patience whatsoever," she scolded, although her annoyance faded into amusement when she looked at him. He looked too much like a sulky child in the baggy black tank and matching pants, silver-gray hair flopping over the Sharingan eye, mask abandoned somewhere in the bedroom. She suspected it was hanging on the bedpost.

"I'm hungry." He tilted his head at her, visible eye watching her hands as she worked on the counter.

_Obviously…_ Sakura moved the salad bowl to the side and began mixing oil, butter and spice in a smaller bowl for the pasta sauce. Her humming continued, flowing into a different melody as she began pulling the tails from the frozen shrimp.

"How about now?"

Sakura didn't bother answering him; she just gave him a look.

A few minutes later, after successfully ridding each shrimp of its tail, she nodded to Kakashi. "Okay, now you can. And don't adjust the heat like you did last time, they'll stick." She sighed quietly, shaking her head. "You're lucky you're so cute," she muttered under her breath, although he must have heard her because of the sudden happy eye crease.

The sound of noodles being poured into boiling water came almost immediately and she bit her lip to keep from laughing, knowing that he had had the box in his hand while he waited. Kakashi stirred the noodles with a wooden spoon, then set it down on the counter and waited again.

Sakura worked in silence – with the exception of her humming – until Kakashi shifted impatiently.

"Are they ready now?"

"It's only been a minute."

"…"

Sakura went back to ignoring him, absently wondering why he was being so childish until she remembered that he hadn't eaten since the night before. It tended to make him more impatient and sulky instead of irritable as it did to her. While a sulky Kakashi was rather cute, he did get on her nerves after awhile. Although normally he wasn't this bad...

The kunoichi poured the sauce she had made into a skillet, adding chopped garlic and put it on medium heat next to the noodles. As the garlic sizzled, she put the bowl of shrimp nearby so she could add them when the sauce was warm enough. Kakashi rested his chin on the crown of her head, hands resting lightly on her hips as he watched her work. Occasionally he would lift his head – or tilt it, more likely – to look at the noodles.

"How about now?"

"Kakashi…" Her warning tone caused him to rest his head on hers again and sigh quietly. He only seemed to act like this when he was around her, and she wondered if it was because he thought he could get away with it or if it was for an entirely different reason. It was hard to tell with him sometimes.

"…now?"

Sakura elbowed him in response and he grumbled, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder instead. "You're exasperating," she sighed, adding the shrimp to the heated sauce and stirring it with a spoon.

"Hungry," he corrected, nuzzling her neck.

She turned her head to give him an incredulous look. "What are you, five?"

Ah, there was the brow furrow. Satisfied that he was properly chastised, Sakura kissed his nose and turned back to her work. After a moment she became slightly distracted by Kakashi's fingers rubbing the smooth skin of her hip, his warm breath ghosting over her neck. "Now?" he asked, moving one of his hands from her body to stir the noodles.

Sakura's brow twitched. "Yes, they're ready."

Kakashi promptly let go of her to dump the pan of water and noodles into the strainer, then quickly dropping the noodles into the skillet she was preparing the sauce in. Sakura stirred them together, pointing with the other spoon toward the table. "Put the salad on the table."

The Copy Ninja hesitated, salad bowl in his hand and a teasing smile pulling on his mouth. "Now?"

Sakura huffed, glaring at him. So he _had_ been doing it just to annoy her! "Kakashi!"

Amid quiet laughter, Kakashi was forced to duck again when a wooden spoon was thrown – rather forcefully, too – at his head.

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Little KakaSaku scribble that was itching to get out. Not my best by any means, but it was fun to write anyway. And I cannot claim to having the proper knowledge of cooking shrimp pasta. I made this version of it up, hoping it was somewhat close to being right. I leave the proper way to my mother (who is the absolute _best _at making it, I might add). 

Review please!


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